Nuclear Darkness
language

Online Resources

There are some great websites which  provide sophisticated yet understandable answers to how nuclear weapons work, the history of their development and testing, and what effects these weapons have when detonated. I do not wish to attempt to duplicate or paraphrase this material. 

Please click on the highlighted URLs below to go to the best online explanations available.

General information and historical data about nuclear weapons 

Nuclear Weapon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon

History of Nuclear Weapons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nuclear_weapons

Nuclear Weapon Testing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_testing

Nuclear Warfare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_warfare

The Nuclear Weapons Archive: A Guide to Nuclear Weapons

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/

Nuclear Weapon Design

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon_design
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon_design 
http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/design.htm

Nuclear Darkness

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_darkness

Status of Nuclear Weapons States and Their Nuclear Capabilities

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/summary.htm

Learn About Nuclear Weapons

http://www.slmk.org/larom/ENG/politics.html

Nuclear Weapons Technical Issues

Nuclear Weapons Overview

Union of Concerned Scientists

http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_weapons_and_global_security/nuclear_weapons/technical_issues/

Federation of American Scientists

http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/index.html

Global Security.org

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/intro/nuke.htm

How Stuff Works

http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-bomb.htm

Nuclear Weapons Policy Issues

Nuclear Weapon Treaties and Agreements

http://www.armscontrol.org/treaties

No Launch on Warning

http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2002/05/00_phillips_no-launch.htm

20 Mishaps that Might Have Started Accidental Nuclear War

http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/1998/01/00_phillips_20-mishaps.htm

Retaliatory Launch Only After Detonation

http://www.rload.org

The Union of Concerned Scientists

An excellent webpage which details basic and in-depth nuclear weapons policy
http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_weapons_and_global_security/nuclear_weapons/policy_issues/ 

The Nuclear Information Project, by Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists

http://www.nukestrat.com/index.htm

U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policies

http://www.fcnl.org/issues/persp8_nuclear_2.htm

Alternative Policies for a Safer World

http://www.fcnl.org/issues/persp8_nuclear_4.htm

Missile Defense

http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/index.html

New Nuclear Weapons: Reliable Replacement Warheads

http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_weapons_and_global_security/nuclear_weapons/technical_issues/new-nuclear-weapons-reliable.html

Specific Nuclear Weapon Effects

Fallout from Nuclear Weapons Tests and Cancer Risks

http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/2006/1/fallout-from-nuclear-weapons-tests-and-cancer-risks

Vulnerability of populations and the urban health care systems to nuclear weapon attack – examples from four American cities

http://www.ij-healthgeographics.com/content/6/1/5

Nuclear Weapon Radiation Effects

http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/radiation.htm

Thermal Effects

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/intro/nuke-thermal.htm

Nuclear Weapons Effects (Bomb-A-City) Calculator

http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/nuclear_weapon_effects/nuclearwpneffctcalc.html?formAction=297&contentId=367

Weapons (Radioactive) Fallout Calculator

http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/nuclear_weapon_effects/falloutcalc.html?formAction=297&contentId=426

The Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) (animation)

http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_weapons_and_global_security/nuclear_weapons/technical_issues/nuclear-bunker-buster-rnep-animation.html

Detailed scientific explanations and observations of nuclear weapons

The Effects of nuclear Weapons The Glasstone-Dolan book is considered the primary scientific reference on nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons effects.  Listed below are the URLs for the third edition, published in 1977.
"The Effects of Nuclear Weapons", Samuel Glasstone and Philip J. Dolan, published by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Energy Research and Development Administration

The files for this book were created and graciously provided by the Princeton Program on Science & Global Security.